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literallykalasin 's review for:
Give a Boy a Gun
by Todd Strasser
"Give a Boy a Gun" is the story of Gary and Brendan, two boys who are given so much grief by their classmates, that they feel there is only one way out, and to take those who made them miserable with them. It is told in quotes and facts: facts about gun violence and youth; and quotes from Gary and Brendan’s friends, family, neighbours, teachers, and classmates.
This book had a lot of potential. It is controversial, but this is a topic worth addressing. However, the manner in which the topic was handled is condescending and leaves the reader with little room to form their own opinions on the issue. The quotes coming from the teachers and the popular students leave the reader in little doubt of what opinion they are supposed to hold; rather than being portrayed as sympathetic characters, expressing regret about what drove two boys to think a school shooting was the answer, it is quite the opposite. Popular girl Deirdre Bunson is quoted as thinking during the shooting, “I remember wondering why they didn’t start shooting kids right away. And I thought, Oh, no, killing us isn’t the point. They have some stupid message they want us to hear first.” The portrayl of students and teachers gives the reader the impression that Gary and Brendan were forced to do what anyone would’ve done in their situation. The boys themselves are rendered unbelievable in that even in their deepest depths of angst, they manage to restrain their swear words to a “friggin’.” Incidences like that, and many more like it, force the reader to realise they are reading an adult’s rendition of a teenager. Despite the importance of the issue, this book is hard to recommend to young adult readers. The characters will be relatable to youth who are teased, but the way the characters are written may lead some to believe that even their teachers think they deserve to be bullied.
This book had a lot of potential. It is controversial, but this is a topic worth addressing. However, the manner in which the topic was handled is condescending and leaves the reader with little room to form their own opinions on the issue. The quotes coming from the teachers and the popular students leave the reader in little doubt of what opinion they are supposed to hold; rather than being portrayed as sympathetic characters, expressing regret about what drove two boys to think a school shooting was the answer, it is quite the opposite. Popular girl Deirdre Bunson is quoted as thinking during the shooting, “I remember wondering why they didn’t start shooting kids right away. And I thought, Oh, no, killing us isn’t the point. They have some stupid message they want us to hear first.” The portrayl of students and teachers gives the reader the impression that Gary and Brendan were forced to do what anyone would’ve done in their situation. The boys themselves are rendered unbelievable in that even in their deepest depths of angst, they manage to restrain their swear words to a “friggin’.” Incidences like that, and many more like it, force the reader to realise they are reading an adult’s rendition of a teenager. Despite the importance of the issue, this book is hard to recommend to young adult readers. The characters will be relatable to youth who are teased, but the way the characters are written may lead some to believe that even their teachers think they deserve to be bullied.